A Beautiful Encapsulation Of My Childhood

I was looking through my late mother's old photo albums at my sister's house, and found a treasure trove of old family pictures that I have never seen before. Almost immediately, to preserve the memories, I began to digitize some of the old photos for restoration.

If there was a picture that would bring back great memories and encapsulate the essence of my childhood, it would be this image. 

This picture is the epitome of my childhood growing up as a kid, when everything was seemingly perfect. In my opinion, and in my personal experience, the late 1950's was the greatest time to be a kid.

I was around 4 years old when this picture was taken. This photo evokes in me a sense of calm and feelings of nostalgia; and transports me back to the best, simple carefree days of my life.

Which is why I love photography so much, old family photos in particular. The power of photographs lies in their ability to transport us back in time, evoking memories and emotions that might have otherwise faded.

The View From My Window

What do you do, when you enter the subway after leaving your favorite bank, and you are the only person on the platform?

With only the echoing sounds of the station, the distant rumble of an approaching train and the visual emptiness of the platform stretching out before you? You take out your cell phone out of your pocket and begin taking pictures, of course.

This may be one of those rare instances when you enter the subway, and the Philadelphia subway platform is empty. Since I am always looking for new opportunities to find objects to photograph, it was easy to notice the converging lines creating a perspective effect for my composition to add depth and interest to this particular image. I love it! 😀

Foto Friday

A day like today, November 1, 2015, this Brooklyn Bridge image was taken on top of the Brooklyn Bridge boardwalk. This is one of my first photos taken during a cold early morning sunrise using a DSLR camera. The Brooklyn Bridge is also less crowded during sunrise.

I quickly realized that I'd prefer to take pictures during sunset hour because of the soft, warm light and rich colors. It didn't take me long to learn that one hour before sunset is ideal, the light is less harsh than during the middle of the day. Enjoy!

Throwback Thursday

This picture is a throwback from my first year trying to learn photography quickly; basically going into photography full time. As you know, practice makes perfect. To reach my goal I traveled to New York City almost every other weekend to sharpen my learned skills. It's been a fascinating journey from which I hope to continue to grow and improve my photography.

Why Pay A Monthly Subscription?

Last night I was reading a heated discussion on a photography forum (seven pages and hundreds of replies) about the pros and cons on why people pay for a subscription membership versus using a standalone photo program.

It is no secret that I edit/modify all photographs I take. In my opinion, it helps to bring my images to life. That is my preference and a different topic altogether.

Why are some people happy to spend money on a monthly subscription to edit the images they take? In the past it was simple, you paid for the standalone software once, and that was it. Nowadays, photography editing software is only available on a monthly subscription. You have to pay a monthly fee indefinitely.

I've been using Adobe Photoshop Elements since 2004, and currently have different versions of their standalone program just in case the time comes that my laptop has to be replaced. I am very happy with Photoshop so far, and the program is capable enough for my photography needs. It's unlikely I will ever go for any subscription monthly software.

When It Comes To Photography, Nothing Beats Today's Technology

My first real camera was a Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 film camera, purchased as a gift to myself in 1988 after my divorce. The other camera shown on this picture was my first digital Nikon DSLR purchased in 2015.

Earlier this week I declined to participate in a conversation about taking pictures using film, and developing my own images in a darkroom at home or sending the film to a processing lab. Hardcore photography purists can be rough, and for some is hard to compromise. It is their way, or no way.

The last time I used my film Yashica FX-3 camera in 2002, I visited Washington DC and spent a week sightseeing the city. When I returned home, I took a roll of film of 36 exposures to get it developed. It was a huge mistake because the processing lab ruined ALL my vacation pictures.

When it comes to photography, nothing beats today's ( digital camera or smartphone ) technology.

Foto Friday - February 23, 2024

This picture was taken two or three years ago, from Camden NJ waterfront, while I was waiting for the 4th of July fireworks.

The reason why it was never posted until today, is because I was not happy with the colors of the image. Too much distraction due to the mismatched vibrant colors.

Today, I decided to make some adjustments into a black/white picture to give it a more nostalgic and dramatic feeling. In my opinion, the photo looks a lot better in black and white without the distractions of color. The contrast between the subject in the image is more defined, and in my opinion the subject appears to be better isolated.

The Boy Who Loves Cars

I dare you to read more about Anthony Ryan Schmidt. Anthony is a 14 year old who loves to collect and photograph model cars using his iPhone. He also has autism.

To take his images he wears ear protection because he also suffers from a neurological condition called misophonia. I wasn't educated much about autism, or misophonia. Despite his neurological disabilities, he is an amazing and very talented teen.

I am very impressed and jealous at his photographic talent; he takes photos of his model car collection and makes them look life-sized. He captures stunning images of his model cars against detailed backdrops.

Even though I am not into cars, I am inspired by his passion photographing model cars . He has an exceptional eye composing his photos. His images are absolutely stunning, very talented young man. 

Top image is a picture taken from Anthony's website.

A Few Days With Family In New York City

On Monday, we spend the day hanging out in the Brooklyn Bridge and had lunch at Eataly NYC Downtown Restaurant, next to the 9/11 Memorial Museum. 

The following day we went to Central Park, went shopping in Times Square, and had lunch at famous Joe's Pizza. Even though Joe's Pizza claim to serve the best pizza in New York, and their restaurant is covered with pictures of famous people, personally I wasn't impressed. 

The family insisted on buying cookies at Levain Bakery on West 74th street. Another place that claims to sell New York City most famous cookies.  So after leaving Bethesda Terrace, the water fountain and Central Park lake, we walked two blocks to Levain Bakery. 

Levain Bakery reminded me of the famous Soup Nazi from the sitcom Seinfeld. Same store configuration, and design of the front counter. For a minute I thought the character from the Soup Nazi was going to make an appearance and say, "No Soup For You". Enjoy the pictures! 

Solitude

"Solitude is the state of being alone without being lonely. It is a positive and constructive state of engagement with oneself." - Psychology Today.

As the world around me moves too fast, there are times when I visualize myself in a remote location. Doing that helps me reduce stress. 

It is hard for me to describe the peacefulness I feel when I am voluntarily alone for a few quiet hours taking pictures. I truly enjoy the quiet, it makes me happy to experience the beauty of nature. 

I need to stop procrastinating and escape the rat race, and never get sucked back in. 

Throwback Thursday

This picture was taken in 2015, my first year getting into digital photography. When I bought my first DSLR, I used to walk around armed with my camera looking for places to photograph. I had no idea what I was doing but that didn't stopped me from trying. With so many historic buildings in Philly, photo opportunities are abundant. 

A good thing about photo walks is that even if my photography sucks, I get a hell of a lot of exercise. This particular day I got up early in the morning and took a few pictures inside UPenn University, the college grounds were completely empty thanks to the holidays. There was nobody there, therefore I had the place to myself. 

All by myself; this phrase just reminded me of one of my favorite songs = All By Myself by Eric Carmen. 

HDR Photography : The Frankenstein Way

This over saturated image above is what happens when a person is bored to death and goes the Frankenstein way using HDR. What can I say, once in a while it's fun to experiment, it doesn't hurt to try different things.

I was reading Trey Ratcliff's blog the first time I heard the term HDR. Can't remember how I landed in his blog. Immediately fell in love with the technique; when done correctly, the images come to life with dramatic contrast, incredible detail and vivid color. At the time I don't think I even had my first DLSR yet.

As someone with natural artistic talent, I was fascinated with the vibrant colors and making my images pop the way I wanted. To me is all about getting better color rendition in my photography.

Even though HDR photography has a lot of critics, I don't think is any different than processing and manipulating images in the darkroom. The difference, to me, is that now we don't have to deal with exposure to fumes and toxic chemicals. And is not messy.

There are lots of Frankenstein images out there. People take multiple exposures to create an HDR blend, then Frankenstein them together with over saturation and contrasting, just like I did with the above picture.

If there's one thing I've learned since I first began using HDR, is that adding this technique to certain images has given me more options. In my opinion, my photography is improving, and that is always a good thing.